Hello everyone, and welcome to Chapter 3! Thank you to all who are reading/ following/ and reviewing Madness :-)

JustLucky05: Thank you! Yes, this will be an all-around learning experience for all those involved. Allie will flourish and finally show everyone who she really is!

KathDMD: I'm saving 'Jimmy' for GMN and you Ms. Fashionista! No worries...the sexy accents will be here soon ETA...Ch 4 :-) Figure I'll begin posting GMN in two more weeks...need to get some things in 'Madness' out in the open first (things that show up sooner in GMN)Love ya back!xoxo

WadeWells: Girl...I live vicariously through these characters ;-) Have to dig into all those *clears throat* 'old' memories LOL. Our favorite couple has a lot to learn about each other...they also need to learn how to let go...

FroofyB: Oh yes...some fun will be had before reality hits once more...get ready...mischief will come...as will Keith's reactions...

DreamtimeDancer: So glad your here :-) Yeah...interesting scenarios to come *giggles and rubs palms together*

Smithy: There will be some Jeff and Lisa coming, although this chapter is all Kogane ;-)

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Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from Voltron or it's characters...OCs are all mine!

"Madness: Spring Break"

Chapter 3- The Forgotten

***
There they were again, driving to yet another meeting at the Garrison safe house that had become all too familiar to Keith. His parents were in a heated discussion in the front and obviously not too concerned that he could hear everything. He had to admit, he was proud of the fact that his parents trusted him so much. At the ripe age of eight, his father had already immersed him in every form of martial arts imaginable while his mother played intricate games of strategy with him. Keith loved his parents and thought that they were pretty cool. Because of this, he was a bit concerned at how nervous they seemed to be about this particular meeting. It was unusual for them.

"Lexie, he came all the way out here to talk to us- brought his whole family! Something's just not right."

"You're having one of your 'feelings' again, aren't you Kenny?" said Alexandra 'Xandra' Kogane as she looked at her husband.

Kenneth Kogane looked at his wife, his strong features etched with concern. "He made us swear to never discuss my past, Lex. The Garrison doesn't even know the truth about my family; yet, now he comes all the way out here to talk to me, to us? Why did he insist we bring Keith?"

"Ken, we would have brought Keith with us regardless. He's safe with us…" she began but he cut her off.

"That's not the point! He mentioned him specifically…by name! How did he know?" he said in a raised voice.

His wife threw her gaze up "Oh come on! You yourself said that most of the people from your home planet have some sort of ability. I am sure that he, being in the station he's in now, has had more than ample opportunity to strengthen his own gift. Chances are he is a seer of some sort." said Xandra with confidence. It must have worked because Kenneth actually relaxed his stance.

"Dad, what's Mom talking about? What home planet? Aren't you from here?" asked Keith, more curious than concerned.

"Of course I am little man! Your mom is just being sarcastic. She always thinks of my side of the family as being from another planet" he paused and gave his wife a sneaky smirk. "Makes her feel better about herself, even though she knows that, deep down, my genes are far superior." Kenny flashed his wife a bright smile.

Keith chuckled in the back seat "Ouch Mom, you gonna let him get away with that?"

"Don't worry baby, I'll have my revenge later." Xandra smiled devilishly at her husband. He returned the gesture and laughed as they approached the safe house.

Kenneth took a deep breath and exited the car, approaching the safe house with Keith by his side and Xandra behind him. As soon as they walked in, Ken and Lexie motioned for Keith to sit in the lounge area located near the front entrance. His parents then moved in further to begin their meeting. He had a clear view of the group that was engaged in discussion with his parents. There was a tall, brown haired man who looked as though he hadn't shaved in days. His presence, however, was definitely commanding. Keith knew he had to be someone really important. With the man stood a beautiful blonde woman- who was obviously pregnant, a young man, possibly in his early teens, with green eyes and dark auburn hair, as well as another tall, official looking gentleman who had placed a protective hand on the young man's shoulder.

Although Keith could see them, he could only hear bits and pieces. All he managed to gather was that his father needed to continue keeping 'the secret', then something about destiny, chosen one, and all being revealed in time. There was also something about the Drules- 'god I hate them!' and imminent danger. The last thing he heard was 'only she will be spared' before he was interrupted by a high pitched voice.

"You know, it is considered rude to eavesdrop on adult conversations"

Keith was startled by the presence of a little girl sitting next to him. She looked at him square in the face with her big bright sky blue eyes framed by her curly blonde locks.

"Do you enjoy sneaking up on people and scaring the heck out of them." he responded, annoyed.

She giggled "Yes, I do; part of my training, actually. I've been told that I am quite good at it and I'm only six! Imagine what I will be capable of the older I get!"

Keith rolled his eyes. "OK little miss cocky, who are you and what are you doing here?"

The little girl snarled. "You better watch it mister! I'll have you know that I am a princess." She said, sticking her nose up in the air.

Keith snorted a chuckle "Heh! That's what you all say. All you little girls think and act like you're princesses."

Her bright eyes widened "You know other princesses? Amazing! Are you a prince, too?" she said with excitement.

Keith looked at her as though she was crazy. "God no! Wait- are you for real? You're really a princess?" he asked.

Iit was her turn to be annoyed. She huffed. "You boys are all the same. Ugh! Yes, I really am a princess. I can't tell you my name though. Daddy says it's too dangerous." She paused as she pointed to her parents that were talking to his. "That's my Daddy. He is the King of our world and the bravest man I know." she said matter-of-factly, yet with obvious admiration.

"Wow, that's pretty cool. So, you actually live in a castle and stuff?" he said, somewhat impressed. He had met many influential people in his young life but never royalty.

She giggled at him. "Yes, I do. It's not as exciting as you might think. It's really big and it can get pretty lonely sometimes. Mommy and Daddy are always in meetings." She sighed. "Anyway, what's your name?" she said wanting to change the subject.

He looked at her for a moment, sensing her sadness and wanting to lighten things up. "Well, if you can't tell me your name than I think it's only fair that mine stays secret as well." He smirked

She smiled "True but, I need to call you something. After all, you can call me Princess even though you don't know my name. It is not proper for me to refer to you as 'hey you'" she paused and tapped her finger on her chin in thought.

'This girl is way beyond her years' Keith speculated as he watched her contemplate a name for him.

"I know! Considering what I've heard of your parents…"

"Eavesdropped you mean" Keith interrupted with a cocky smirk.

The little princess waved him off "No mind! As I was saying before being so rudely interrupted…based on what I have overheard about your parents, you, too, must be very brave; annoying…but brave. Where I come from, the bravest of all knights is called the Black Knight so that is what I will call you" she said as she clapped her hands together.

Keith laughed at her enthusiasm over something so trivial. He was about to accept the title when a movement outside the window caught his eye. 'Drules!' he thought. He looked at the little girl seated next to him.

"You have to trust me. We have to hide, NOW!" he got up and pulled her out of the booth. He slammed onto the panic sensor setting off all the alarms in the safe house as he shoved the little princess into the linen closet in the bathroom. He went in as well and shut the door behind him. The girl was horrified. He pushed her down and held her so they could both hide themselves under the towels in the bottom shelf. Tears welled up in the little princess' eyes.

"Shhh! Please…don't cry. I'm sure our parents are fine. I know I set the alarm off in time". He said, trying to believe it himself. Outside the door they could hear voices and laser fire.

"Those were Drules, weren't they." she breathed out as more of a statement of fact rather than a question.

"Yes" he whispered, bitterness already evident in his young voice.

"Why? Why can't they just leave us alone?" she said, fear evident in her eyes. Keith's heart suddenly ached for this little girl. 'Princess. What kind of life is this for a princess… or anyone else for that matter?'

"Don't worry. You're safe. I won't let them hurt you." He smiled. At that moment, Keith heard the frantic voices of his parents and realized it was safe to come out. He reassured the princess, opened the door, and led her out to the lounge. Their parents ran to them while the King held a proud smile on his face.

"Young man, you are a hero." Keith blushed as the King patted his shoulder.

The princess turned to him and pushed his shoulder in jest "See, I knew you were a Black Knight." She said with a smile.

The adults' eyes widened with the little princess' comment. A sly smirk tugged on the King's face as he turned toward Kenneth. "Well, Kenny. Do you still doubt what I said to be true?"

Kenneth was bewildered, as was Xandra, by all that they were told by the King. "No, I guess not." He replied, shocked. Keith pretended not to listen.

"You must protect him Ken. No one must find out that he is of our world. When you go on your next mission, leave him with friends that you trust. When the time comes, when destiny calls, he will return home with his team and all will commence as written." The King said, looking at Kenneth.

The Queen went up to him and rested her hands on Kenneth's shoulders. "Please Kenny, you heard the prophecy. It's our only hope. Take care of yourself too." She said as she hugged him.

Xandra put her arm around her husband and looked at the royals "Don't worry you two. Go back and prepare yourselves. We'll take care of everything on our end." She nodded, assuredly.

"I will head to the Alliance now and leave instructions with Graham. He's the only one I know we can trust." said the King with confidence. They all said their goodbyes.

The princess shook Keith's hand. "Good bye, Black Knight, and thank you. Maybe I'll see you again someday." she said and smiled sweetly.

He returned the smile and nodded "Yeah, sure Princess…maybe".

Keith struggled to breathe as his body shot up in bed. He was sweating and began to frantically run his hand through his hair. What the hell was that? Am I dreaming? I kind of remember, I think. Was that real? Could it be? Keith shook his head hoping that it would somehow snap him back to reality. He looked around his room as though he expected to find someone there. Rubbing his face with the palms of his hands, the captain sighed as he threw the covers off himself and got out of bed. Jaw clenched, he began to stomp around the room, pulling a t-shirt on over his pajama pants and throwing on his slippers before storming out of his quarters- heading to confront the one man who could give him answers. Alfor.

He marched down the halls of the castle making his way to the elevators that led to the crypts, angrily pressing buttons until the doors closed before him and the elevator began its journey to the lower levels. Enough speaking in riddles. I want answers damn it! Ever since Korrinoth was destroyed, King Alfor had been summoning Keith, providing him with intel regarding Hagar as well as cryptic references to the past and some Arusian prophecy. Although he found it disturbingly strange and immensely confusing, the Black Lion pilot enjoyed his conversations with the late king as it provided him with insight into Arusian history, strategy, and, most importantly, Allura.

The captain knew that the princess kept a lot of secrets about herself and the past- a suspicion which was confirmed the last time Lotor had taken her and the team discovered that the two had some kind of 'history'. Of course, the princess refused to talk about it. Whatever the case, Lotor often used the past to torment the Blue lion pilot and send her over the edge. What the hell happened Allura? He was sure that he would never find anything out from her. She obviously didn't want to talk about it, not even with Lance… and she tells him everything. Now this dream, what did it mean? He'd had enough. He wanted answers and he wanted them now. As the elevator doors slid open, Keith stormed out and pushed through the entrance to Alfor's crypt ready for an argument… with a dead guy…yeah…I've lost it. He was surprised to see that Alfor's spirit was already there, waiting.

"What took you so long Captain? I was beginning to worry." Alfor said, turning to look at Keith, who responded by glaring at him with obvious annoyance. Alfor sighed and rubbed the area between his eyes. "Alright Keith, let's have it."

The captain clenched his fists at his side "I'm done your Majesty. I'm not trying to disrespect you, but I want answers, real ones, no more of these cryptic riddles. I don't have time for soul searching. Lotor and Hagar are still out there plotting their revenge and I need to be ready!" He said in a raised tone.

"You will be son, I assure you."

"I don't want assurances…I want answers!" he demanded. Alfor's spirit remained calm and stoic as he looked upon Keith.

"Very well. What is it you would like to know." He said in a monotone voice.

Keith relaxed his stance and looked into the eyes of Allura's father. "What was that just now? Was I dreaming?" he asked.

"Yes you were."

"So, it wasn't real." He breathed.

"Oh no, it was real." Alfor responded.

Keith snapped his irritated gaze toward the late monarch's ghostly form. "You just said I was dreaming." He grunted.

"You were dreaming Keith, about an event that actually occurred when you were a young boy."

"I thought we said no more cryptic shi…stuff." Keith grimaced and Alfor smiled.

"I apologize, old habits and all. I will try to suppress that urge moving forward…and to answer your next question…yes, the little girl was Allura."

Keith pinched his brow and contemplated that statement. A simple statement really: the little girl was Allura; yet, it held such profound revelation and he finally understood the strong connection he felt to her when she first descended the stairs of the old castle. He'd always felt as though he'd met her before. Her eyes were so familiar to him and now he knew why.

Even back then, Keith's first instinct was to save her. A slow smile grew on Alfor's face as though he could read his thoughts- ha, he probably can. It made sense but as he recalled the dream, something wasn't right. He looked up at Alfor who suddenly appeared to be guarded.

"The pregnant woman…was that Allura's mother?"

"Yes" Alfor whispered.

Keith shook his head. "I don't understand. Allura told us that she had lost her mother after she was born."

Alfor pursed his lips and slightly shrugged his shoulders "Keith, I am not sure why my daughter has kept things from you and the others all these years but I am sure that she has her reasons. I'm not quite certain that I should be the one to explain all of this to you. I feel as though I am somehow betraying her."

"Please…you know she won't tell us anything. I've tried, Lance has tried, the others as well. You say that I am meant to be with her, protect her…save her. How can I do that if I don't know the truth? Lotor holds it over her and I can do nothing! Please…tell me…I can help her." He pleaded.

The king let out a deep sigh and looked up to the heavens. "Lion spirits…I certainly hope I do not regret this." Moving his gaze back to Keith, Alfor began his tormented tale. "Auria was a very strong and stubborn woman when I met her…it was what drew me to her like a magnet." He smiled. "Allura is a lot like her mother you know… more than you can imagine…a bit frustrating at times, really" he paused to look at Keith who closed his eyes and grinned slightly at the comment.

"Did you know that she was the Blue Lion pilot as well?" Keith looked at him with wide eyes. Alfor chuckled "I'll take that as a 'no'… Yes, well, I do not believe that Allura knows either as I'm sure that Nanny and Coran kept that little tidbit to themselves…a lot of good that did." He snickered. "My Auria was an amazing pilot and an incredible young woman. I fell in love with her the moment I saw her. She was my souls mate in every sense. After a while, we could even sense each other's thoughts, feel the others emotions…it was extraordinary." He glanced at Keith "sound at all familiar by chance?" The young captain looked at him knowingly. Releasing a soft chuckle, the king continued

"Eventually, we were able to communicate telepathically…used to drive people crazy." Alfor added with a light-hearted laugh which quickly subsided as his tone took on a more serious note "Our bond, beautiful though it was, became both a blessing and a curse." He sighed.

"A curse? How so?"

Allura's father gazed upon the young Voltron commander with eyes that reflected the agony in his heart. "There is no torture greater than feeling the pain…physical and emotional…of the one you love and being able to do nothing to stop it, Keith Kogane. I do not wish it upon my worst enemy." He breathed.

Keith thought about it for a moment, then shivered at the gravity of what the king's statement meant. With his dark eyes full of compassion, he hesitantly looked at the monarch "Is that what happened?"

Alfor closed his eyes and took in a deep breath before continuing on. "Auria was pregnant when Zarkon's forces penetrated Arus. We had been without the Lions for years and it was a wonder we'd lasted as long as we had. It was the week of Allura's 7th birthday when they were captured. The goal was to use them to get to me. It would have worked. I would have done anything…anything to get my girls back. Auria was complacent until they separated her from Allura. She fought Zarkon…fought him hard. Using our bond, I begged her to stop…to give in…especially after we had managed to rescue Allura. My love refused. Zarkon had not anticipated such strong-willed retaliation from her. In a fit of rage he murdered my Auria, brutally…along with our unborn child. Things were never the same after that." He explained, his regal voice quivering as he relived all the pain.

Keith was heartbroken listening to the king explain the details of his wife's murder, helpless to save her and their child. "I'm sorry your Majesty…I…I didn't know…I never would have asked you to relive it had I known." Keith said regretfully.

"Never apologize son… you had every right to ask." He sighed. "Go on…what else is on your mind?" Alfor added with kindness.

Keith studied the king's expression to assure himself that it was alright to continue. "Queen Auria…she was murdered at the bunker…where Lotor took Allura…" he offered as a statement.

"Yes. That was where Allura first encountered the prince. Zarkon turned her over to his son as a spoil of war." The King paused, squeezing his eyes shut as he fought to control his emotions at the memory. "My little girl was just days away from turning seven…seven! I don't even want to think what would have happened if he had not found her when he did." He explained as he shook his head.

Keith's skin tightened and he began to feel as though he was suffocating. "Who?" he asked. Alfor looked upon him. "Aaron…he found her and got her out."

"That was the young boy that was with you and the others in the safe house?"

"Yes. Aaron had said that Lotor was with her when he got there. He refused to say anything more and we could never get Allura to speak of it." he said as he dropped his eyes to the ground.

Keith felt a burning sensation pool in his throat as the bile rose within him. His palms began to sweat and his mind began to race. So that's what he torments her with? I'll kill that bastard! Keith ground his teeth, his gaze cold, as his heart began to pound. His muscles began to quiver from the building rage until he felt a warm presence in his mind that began to calm him. As his breathing began to slow and heart-rate steadied, he looked at the king, confused by the experience.

"Relax Captain, she'll feel you…even though she's blocked you right now, that much rage will seep through for sure." He explained.

"Blocked me? What do you mean she's blocked me?" Keith asked.

Alfor chuckled, albeit lightly. "Allura has been able to sense you for a while Keith and she suspects that you can sense her as well. I guess she doesn't want you to know what she's feeling right now...and vice versa." He smirked.

Keith narrowed his eyes. This is crazy. I'm more confused now than I was before. Aaron…who the hell is Aaron? "So…Aaron…was he promised to her or something…you know…betrothed?" he hesitated.

Alfor laughed. "No…nothing like that." He smiled. "Maybe we've had enough revelations for one day Commander." In response, Keith cocked his head to the side and crossed his arms in front of him as he stared at Allura's father.

"Keith, the answer to that will lead to more and more questions and you have to lead your team in physical training in one hour. Meditate on what we've discussed thus far. I'm sure it will give you great insight until the next time we speak." He suggested.

Keith sighed. "Can you at least tell me how it is that we can sense each other?"

"She's your soul's mate Keith, whether you're ready to accept it or not." He said flatly.

"…but I'm not Arusian" he snorted.

Alfor raised a brow. "You sure about that Kogane?" he offered with a smirk before shimmering out, leaving the young captain alone with the thought.

"What? Hey!" Keith let out sigh and ran a hand through his hair. He then glanced at his comm unit. Ugh great! I've got less than an hour. Frustrated, he flicked his comm shut and stomped out of the crypt, heading back to his quarters for a hot shower before the day's routines began.

For the first time in his life the captain felt overwhelmed. Between the research on the Arusian prophecies and his search for Hagar and Lotor, he rarely had any time to relax. Was all this information really necessary now? Damn me and my need to know! They're right…I am an obsessive control freak. His stress became more and more evident by the day. It would only be a matter of time before the team began to harass him for answers, especially considering the fact that Sven was due to arrive later in the afternoon.

Keith knew that he wouldn't be able to hide from the Swede for too long. The former Blue Lion pilot could read him like a book. Keith stiffened his shoulders and grimaced at the thought as he entered his quarters and headed straight for the shower. This is going to be a long three months…